Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 4,980 jobs.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Southampton grades B+ overall, ranked 246th of 745 in New York. Natural-hazard risk is low. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $2.0 million, 20.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns. Southampton’s median rent is $2,437 a month, above both New York’s towns ($1,098 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 109 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on walkability. The biggest park or preserve is Ruth Wales DuPont Sanctuary, at 31 acres.
Where Southampton beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1640, comes before those of 99% of the New York towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 3,408 in 1790, 69,036 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Southampton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 5%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southampton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Southampton.
Southampton is a second-home town, draws workers from Southampton and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by New York’s.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 7.4% of its 3,765 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide. Against the 801 U.S. towns with household incomes like Southampton’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
26% of Southampton adults feel lonely. Southampton beats the New York average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 12% of Southampton adults report frequent mental distress.
| Southampton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Southampton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.4% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4,980 jobs are based in Southampton, 3.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 22.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Southampton for work: only 18% work in town. Southampton’s median household income is $214,000. The top destinations are Southampton (31%), New York (22%) and East Hampton (5%).
| Southampton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $214,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
144 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 144 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southampton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Southampton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ruth Wales DuPont Sanctuary | 0.2 mi | 31 |
| 2. Shinnecock Bay Tidal Wetlands Area | — | 16 |
| 3. Downs Family Recreational Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Southampton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Southampton is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 51% of New York’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 20.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 99% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
84% of households own their home in Southampton.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southampton. Close and well known come first.
38 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
31 mi State parkCamp Hero State Park
32 mi LighthouseMontauk Point Light
22 mi LandmarkCalverton National Cemetery
3 mi MuseumParrish Art Museum30K visitors a year
21 mi Park & preserveLong Island Central Pine BarrensGillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Camp Hero State Park: Transpoman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montauk Point Light: Wolfgang Wander, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Calverton National Cemetery: United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Public domain · Parrish Art Museum: Americasroof, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Long Island Central Pine Barrens: Americasroof, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Southampton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Southampton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
3,109 counted in 2010 and 4,550 in 2020; an estimated 4,730 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
25 notable people were born in Southampton.
Town in New York, United States
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as the Hamptons. Stony Brook University has a campus in Southampton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Southampton.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | #246 | B+ | D− | B | B | A+ |
| Water Mill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Sea | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shinnecock Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tuckahoe | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Water Mill, North Sea, Shinnecock Hills and Tuckahoe aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Southampton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Southampton grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #246 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $2,000,000, 281% above the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
25 notable people were born here, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Mary L. Cleave.
